Inside Medical Transcription

Just like the generally aging US workforce most of the medical transcription professionals also consists of significantly old people. At the outset it might look that medical transcription is a sedentary type of work without much physical strain but the fact remains that it is very much a physical work. This is because MTs have to read and type continuously through out the hours of transcription work many hours a day. Moreover, the transcription process is repeated over and over again as a result of which the workers are prone to diseases such as, repetitive stress syndrome, problems with vision and , and other problems that come due to continuously sitting and typing over long periods of time.

Most of the transcriptionists were women in the US but today outsourcing has resulted in mushrooming of transcription professionals’ world wide especially from India where the male population of professionals exceeds the female. Thus the industry is no more dominated by women.

The elderly work force basically is not open to new technology and may find it difficult to adapt to it. They are usually asked to do editing work which could be less attractive because in the US editors are paid lesser than the transcription worker. Moreover wages are directly linked to production with payments made for transcription work done on a per line basis.

Another major challenge faced by the MTs is that they have to often work for multiple doctors from multiple locations and as a result it affects their productivity. It is preferred that the same doctor’s files be sent to the same transcriptionist who over time can get used the individual style and dictation of the doctor. This can minimize the errors and will result in faster work completion. An MT just cannot expect to make errors or mistakes as the expected accuracy level of the finished document exceeds 99%.

Unlike in other jobs, a working MT can never take up another job on a part time basis because this work of transcribing health records is in itself quite demanding mentally and physically. However today home based transcription lets a professional to sit in the comfort of his house and work without the hassle of traveling to and from house to work everyday.

Although the field of medical transcription is very attractive to most people because it does allow the opportunity to work from home and make a decent to good income, most people who want to get into this field do not know what challenges they will face once they decide to pursue a career as a medical transcriptionist (MT).

Medical transcription work is not easy because doctors are rushed. Dictation and paperwork are low priority tasks for them. Treating patients is their number one priority. Even though doctors realize that paperwork and dictation are necessary tasks they must complete, how they do it leaves a lot to be desired. It can be difficult to understand what a doctor has said, let alone what he/she has written.

Consequently, medical transcriptionists….

….must be vigilant and alert when transcribing. An injury to the left leg can suddenly be dictated or written as the right leg and then once again changed back to the left. MTs act in the capacity of a quality control person and must catch such errors.

…are bonified medical language specialists. There are many medical words that sound similar: Oral and aural; abduction and adduction; and effusion and a fusion are good examples of such similar sounding medical terms. A good MT knows what words to use, or more accurately, what word or words the doctor meant to say when he/she was dictating.

…must also be very competent in English usage and grammar. Dictating on the fly, as doctors do, is not easy; and it is the transcriptionist’s responsibility to make sure the meaning is conveyed in a concise and grammatically correct format. It takes time, usually years, to fully develop this technical skill.

…must have bulldogged determination to find out what the doctor is saying if it cannot be understood. Developing a network of like-minded people in the same field helps in this regard. There are times when it might take a few minutes just to decipher one or two words on a tape or what has been written in a medical record. This is done by medical transcriptionists because we are there not only to perform an important job but to perform it correctly and properly.

…must have the temperament to deal with pressure and people who do not fully understand or appreciate the challenges of what we do. Grace under fire is something that is developed over time as well.

With all that said, medical transcription is a wonderfully rewarding and challenging field. People who have a passion for the spoken and written word–who collect words and phrases like some people collect baseball cards-are drawn to this field. We have an innate sense of wanting to do and be our best in our profession and to help patients at the same time by creating accurate, quality medical reports. Making the entire process of transcribing medical reports look deceptively simple and easy is performed every day by devoted and dedicated medical transcriptionists.

Anyone wishing to begin a career as a medical transcriptionist should attend one of the accredited medical transcription schools. The Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP) is a joint program of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) to accredit these type of schools. The AHDI website contains a list of accredited schools, which is updated quarterly.

At present, the accredited schools include A&H Training Corporation, The Andrews School, CanScribe Career Centre, Career Step, Central Texas College, Everett Community College, Exact-Med/United Tribes Transcription Training, Lakeshore Technical College, Medical Transcription Education Center, Inc., MSU-Bottineau, Richmond Community College, Seminole Community College, and TRS Institute.

These schools all follow the ADHI’s Model Curriculum and produce competent entry level transcriptionists. These programs are consistent in producing good results, so it would be best to attend one of these schools rather than one of the many other programs available around the country.

One great thing about the accredited schools is that they all offer an online option. By following an online or distance education program from one of these accredited schools anyone can get their medical transcriptionist training from home on their own time. People can study at one of the accredited medical transcription schools while working at their full time jobs, and many of the programs have rolling admissions and allow you to start when you are ready rather than waiting until the beginning of a semester.

Once a student has finished his or her education at one of the approved schools, they can start work as a medical transcriptionist. Many of the schools help to place their students upon completion of their program. There are a lot of job opportunities to work from home, as well as those working in offices.

After completing a program of study, you can take an AHDI exam to become a registered medical transcriptionist, and after gaining two years of work experience, you’ll be eligible to take the certification exam of the AHDI.